Hotel boss and security ‘assault’ climate activists at demo in London

Several peaceful protesters allege they were “assaulted” by the CEO and security of the Landmark Hotel, London on Tuesday 4 February. That’s the claim of members of a climate crisis activist group. It was during a demonstration against a private jets conference held at the venue.

Landmark Hotel: not a warm welcome for climate protesters

The Corporate Jet Investor conference was derailed this morning when over 60 activists from Climate Resistance protested outside the building:

Our new campaign is live! #AbolishBillionaires

We have disrupted the Corporate Jet Investor conference at the Landmark London Hotel! pic.twitter.com/11pbuduFGf

— Climate Resistance (@climate_resist) February 4, 2025

The group claims multiple people protesting the event were hit or pushed to the floor by hotel representatives:

This was including one by a man who protesters believed to be Landmark Hotel CEO Fergus Stewart:

Everyone give it up for the @landmarklondon hotel CEO, pictured here with his expert skills in dealing with people peacefully asking private jetters not to torch the planet.

Someone tax him please. #AbolishBillionaires

Private jet conference: blocked ✅ pic.twitter.com/FRsKhRWEhg

— Climate Resistance (@climate_resist) February 4, 2025

The Canary asked the Landmark Hotel for comment. A spokesperson told us:

An incident took place outside our hotel this morning involving a group of climate protestors. While we respect the right to peaceful protest, the safety and well-being of our guests and staff are our top priority. The protestors barricaded both our front and back doors before attempting to gain access to the hotel with aim of causing maximum disruption. In response, our team acted to protect those inside in what was a fast-moving and challenging situation.

The glitzy conference brings together industry leaders in business aviation and potential investors for three days of talks and networking.

The protesters are demanding a wealth tax on assets over £10 million, in order to tax the super-rich out of existence and fund desperately needed climate action. Launching their new campaign Abolish Billionaires, the campaigners seek to highlight the disproportionate impact of the super-rich on the climate and the threat billionaire oligarchs pose to democracy.

There has been growing attention on the super-rich in recent weeks, following the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos and the prominence of tech billionaires such as Elon Musk at Donald Trump’s inauguration.

Studies by Oxfam show that the world’s richest 1% own more wealth than the poorest 95% of humanity and emit as much planet-heating pollution as the poorest two-thirds of people. Meanwhile, it would take a person in the bottom 99% of the population over 1,500 years to produce the amount of carbon emissions that the richest billionaires create in a single year.

Polling from YouGov found that 78% of voters support an annual wealth tax on those with assets worth over £10 million, including 77% of Conservative voters and 86% of Labour Party voters.

We can’t afford the super rich

Sam Simons, spokesperson for Climate Resistance which organised the Landmark Hotel protest, stated:

We can’t afford for the super rich to continue with their hyper polluting lifestyles whilst the rest of society foots the bill. The world’s richest 1% are most responsible for the climate crisis, and yet they are also the least likely to be directly impacted. It’s outrageous that billionaires carry on flaunting their wealth with luxury status symbols like private jets whilst extreme weather events destroy people’s homes and lives all around the world.

We know that the climate crisis is a crisis of inequality, and that to avoid its worst impacts we must redistribute wealth on a global scale. We’re calling for a 100% wealth tax on assets over £10 million to tax the super rich out of existence and fund real climate action in the places it’s needed most.

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